All these days, YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has been targeting only Telugu Desam Party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, but maintaining restraint in attacking deputy chief minister and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan.
Maybe, Jagan thought Pawan Kalyan enjoys more popular support as was evident from his 100 percent strike rate in the elections and any attack on him would erode the base of the YSRCP.
But on Wednesday, Jagan was back to his vitriolic attack on Pawan Kalyan for the latter’s latest comments that the YSRCP would not get the leader of opposition status in the next five years; and that Jana Sena Party is the second largest party after the TDP.
“Pawan has just managed to become an MLA for the first time in his life. So, he is speaking through his hat. He is more of a sarpanch than an MLA (sarpanch ki ekkuva, MLA ki takkuva),” he said.
Taking a dig at Pawan Kalyan for claiming his party to be the second largest party, Jagan questioned, "If you are the ones in power and also playing the role of the opposition, isn't this a case of double action?"
The YSRCP chief reiterated his earlier reference to Pawan Kalyan as “Datta Putrudu” (adopted son) of Naidu and said the latter had made tall promises before the elections but was not able to implement them now.
Jana Sena Party leader and state civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar launched a fierce counter attack on Jagan.
He accused Jagan of losing his mental balance and speaking irresponsibly after his party’s massive defeat.
Manohar ridiculed Jagan, saying that while in power, he had earned a reputation as a "work-from-home" chief minister, and now, after defeat, he has become a "work-from-Bangalore" MLA.
On Jagan’s comment describing Pawan as more of a sarpanch than an MLA, the Jana Sena Party leader said he, too, could call Jagan as more of a kodi kathi (rooster knife) than an axe.
“We don’t want to make such comments, as we have decency in politics,” Manohar said.
